FOOD/GIFTS.

Only The Best

It's Not Just Fruitcake Anymore, But A Wide Variety Of Holiday Foods

December 10, 1995|By William Rice.

This year the choice among holiday food gifts ranges far beyond fruitcake, preserves or a box of citrus fruits.

To provide examples of the range of products available, I asked the food departments of two of our leading stores to fill gift baskets with edible treats. Order an entire basket or buy the items in it separately.

In addition, here are 10 favorite food items I would like to give or receive during this season. Recipes that use some of them follow.

Cheese is always welcome at holiday time, and some of the nation's finest goat cheese is made in nearby Greenville, Ind., under the Capriole label. Fresh chavre comes plain in 4-ounce logs ($3.29), or flavored with lemon-pepper in an 8-ounce truncated pyramid ($6.25), at Schaefer's, 9965 Gross Point Rd., Skokie, 708-673-5711. It also is sold at other wine-and-food shops as well as Treasure Island stores.

To find restaurant-quality, well-aged beef in a consumer market is rare indeed. One way to obtain it is to mail-order Golden Trophy steaks from Bruss, one of the leading Chicago meatpackers. A dozen frozen 6-ounce filet mignons, each 1 inch thick and aged 14 to 21 days, is $99.95; a half dozen 12-ounce boneless strip steaks are $79.95. For a catalog or to order call 1-800-835-6607.

How about something sinfully rich that doesn't contain chocolate? D'Artagnan's French kisses, made by stuffing Armagnac-soaked prunes with foie gras, are superb, single-bite appetizers-or, if the occasion calls for it-can replace after-dinner bonbons. A box of six costs $9.25 at Leonard Solomon's Wines and Spirits, 1456 N. Dayton St., 312-915-5911. A party-size box of 48 kisses is $60.

For between-meals reading, I recommend a subscription to "The Art of Eating," a handsome quarterly food newsletter by Edward Behr that contains lengthy personal essays on subjects as varied as Proven al farm cheeses, restaurants past and present, Maryland crab and wines of Europe and America. Subscriptions, $30 a year or $55 for two years, may be ordered by writing in care of Box 242, Peacham, Vt. 05862, or by fax: 802-592-3400.

Mustard is so widely produced and such a popular condiment even in its most feeble expressions that I hesitate to wade into the golden bog and actually single out some. But two I've come to know recently are so distinctive I won't hesitate to present them to friends. The first are the stone-ground, barrel-aged, flavored mustards produced at Raye's Mustard Mill in Eastport, Maine. The mustards contain no fats, flour or sulfites and no additives. A "mustard sampler" containing six 4-ounce jars in a wooden crate is $16.95. To explore other choices and to order call 800-853-1903 or fax 207-853-4451.

The other line of mustards comes from the California winery Cline Cellars and is sold in a number of Chicago-area retail stores including DeCarlo-Armanetti, 6920 S. Illinois Highway 83, Willowbrook, 708-654-0988, and Schaefer's. I recently sampled Cline's delicious whole-grain semillon mustard and a tasty and fragrant zinfandel orange mustard. An 8-ounce jar will cost about $5.99.

For that special holiday meal, I'd be delighted to be served a rib roast of beef from Paulina Market, 3501 N. Lincoln Ave., 312-248-6272. The five-to-seven-rib roast called for in Jeremiah Tower's recipe will cost $60 to $80 without gift wrap.

To those of you who are in a fowl mood but have had your fill of turkey-or those not numerous enough to consume a large bird-I recommend the Canadian-raised Guinea hen sold at Whole Foods, 1000 W. North Ave., 312-587-0648, and 7245 W. Lake St., River Forest, 708-366-1045. It will set you back about $30 or more, but the meat is very tender and considerably more flavorful than turkey. Serve it with a wild mushroom, rice and wild rice stuffing.